"Noah's Compass", Anne Tyler

While the advertising for this novel of course had outstanding comments by others, the two or three reviews seen here were decidedly tepid. While I almost always enjoy Anne Tyler's writing, that was the way I felt about her last book, "Digging to America" which came across as a little bit of a stretch, somewhat complex and maybe slightly out of her talented range of insight.

"Noah's Compass" is a simple story. The simplicity is its beauty. The despair and dysfunction are depicted in an understated way that makes the book a small set piece of a believable life. The moral ambiguity throughout evolves into an acceptance that provides relief and reward to the reader. Certainly not an action thriller or a literary blockbuster, but I liked it.